Xbox One Launch: Microsoft Touts More Than One Million Consoles Sold But Is It Bigger Than The PS4 Launch?

Microsoft has more than 1 million reasons to celebrate after a busy week. According to the company, more than 1 million Xbox One consoles were sold at launch. Microsoft is claiming it is the "biggest launch in Xbox history" but won't go as far to call it the biggest launch ever.

The Xbox One launched in 13 countries on Nov. 22, one week after the launch of Sony's PlayStation 4. Per Microsoft, "The team is excited to confirm the launch of Xbox One was the biggest launch in Xbox history, with more than one million consoles sold worldwide in less than 24 hours – surpassing day one Xbox 360 sales and setting a new record for Microsoft." Fans from around the world lined up to get their hands on the new console, with special launch concerts held in New York and Los Angeles and midnight store openings and other launch events worldwide.

Plenty of gamers are making the most of the short time they have spent with their newly acquired Xbox One. With "Dead Rising 3" and "Forza Motorsport 5" being among the most popular launch titles, Microsoft claims more than 60 million zombies have been killed in the former and more than 3.6 million miles driven in the latter.

Any fears of oversaturation with the launch of two next-gen consoles in successive weeks should be quelled by the large numbers boasted by Microsoft and Sony. With the PS4 launch, Sony announced it had sold more than 1 million consoles in 24 hours. The company has some lofty goals for the PS4, hoping to sell 3 million consoles by the end of 2013.

There is also some desire to pit the two consoles against each other in regards to sales figures but that's a bit premature. Sony has only launched the PS4 in North America, with a European and Latin American rollout on Nov. 29, which means the 1 million figure for the PS4 is for units sold in the United States and Canada, whereas Microsoft launched the Xbox One in 13 countries, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Spain and New Zealand. While the bulk of Xbox One units may have been sold in North America, Microsoft did not provide a breakdown of consoles sold by location, and it is unclear if it matched the PS4's launch.

Microsoft and Sony are both looking ahead to the holiday season and hoping to fulfill the needs of many gamers. Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Marketing and Strategy, Xbox, said in a statement, "We are working hard to create more Xbox One consoles and look forward to fulfilling holiday gift wishes this season."

A white Fiat van rammed into pedestrians outside enjoying a late afternoon stroll on Las Ramblas in Barcelona on Thursday killing at least 13 people and leaving hundreds injured. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.